


The Greatest Gift

by AgtSpooky



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Christmas, Established Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-15
Updated: 2013-12-15
Packaged: 2018-01-04 16:25:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1083144
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AgtSpooky/pseuds/AgtSpooky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The crew of the Enterprise are spending their first Christmas away from Earth and friends and family, so Archer does what he can to bring Christmas to them. And Trip learns that sometimes the greatest gift you can give doesn't have to be tangible.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Greatest Gift

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Captain Jonathan Archer looked away from the winter wonderland scene in front of him to glance over at Commander Trip Tucker – and was helpless to stop his laughter. His chief engineer was sitting on a chair on the porch of the cabin, bundled up in his cold weather gear, a knit cap jammed down on his head and over his ears, with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders. He looked miserable.

 

“Oh, come on,” Archer smiled. “It isn’t _that_ cold.” He swept his arm out. “Everyone else is having a great time!”

 

It was Christmas Eve 2151 and the crew of the Enterprise was on unexpected, but welcomed, shore leave on the planet Hotha, which was dominated by mountains and snow. It was apparently quite the vacation spot. The largest city on the northern hemisphere was set up mainly for off-world tourists to try their hand at winter sports and the area was filled with pockets of 15 to 20 cabins throughout the wide-spread forests.

 

Which is where a portion of the crew was right now. They had been rotating two days and two nights so that everyone had a chance to go to the surface. Not surprisingly, T’Pol had volunteered to remain on board to coordinate the schedules. This last group would depart tomorrow morning, Christmas day, for a ship-wide breakfast feast that Chef was preparing.

 

Archer breathed in deeply of the crisp mountain air and smiled again. A happy shout caught his attention and he turned away from Trip to see what was going on. A rousing snowball fight was currently in progress with Hoshi, Travis and Cutler on one side and Hess, Rostov and Novakovich on the other. The snow was flying as fast as the laughter. Archer saw Malcolm Reed standing on the porch of another cabin behind Hoshi’s team, the staid British officer watching with apparent disinterest. Until he covertly scooped up a large handful of the snow that had gathered on the top of the porch’s railing, formed it into a ball – and launched it at the back of Travis’s head. The young helmsman yelped, startled, as the ice cold snow slithered down the back of his neck and he turned in surprise as Malcolm burst into laughter. It turned into a friendly melee from there, with the armory officer a new target.

 

Archer shook his head in amusement then turned to look to his left when he heard a familiar playful bark. There went Porthos, bounding through the snow, tail wagging, chasing after a stick being thrown by a member of Phlox’s medical staff. He ran past three of Trip’s engineering team who were apparently building a miniature version of the warp engine out of snow, right next to several crewmen decorating a tree with found objects from Enterprise. And it looked like some of the science team and armory crew were gathering wood for a bonfire later tonight. Archer could almost taste the s’mores already.

 

The chair creaked and Archer turned back toward Trip, who was currently blowing on his hands for warmth. “What do you say we go for a walk? The trees and foliage here are amazing. Bet you could get some great pictures. Look just like a Christmas postcard!”  Trip just stared at him. “Don’t think of it as cold. Think of it as…brisk and refreshing!”

 

Trip gave him an annoyed look. “Are you forgettin’ I’m from _Florida_? And then I moved to _California_?”

 

“Which means you’ve probably seen snow just as many times as our resident Boomer,” Archer smiled. “You should be enjoying this rare experience!”

 

Trip sighed deeply and looked away from Archer. “I’m just…not real big on bein’ cold anymore.”

 

Archer’s face fell and he immediately regretted everything he’d said. What had he been thinking, teasing Trip like that only a month after… Of course he would hate the cold.

 

“I’m sorry, I –“ Archer began but Trip stood up, shaking his head, the blanket falling onto the chair.

 

“No, I’m sorry,” the engineer apologized. “I didn’t mean to ruin the mood.” He reached out and took Archer’s hand. “This is an amazin’ thing you’ve done for everyone. Our first Christmas away from Earth with everyone missin’ their family and friends. This has really put everyone in the spirit and boosted morale.”

 

Archer shrugged. “You can thank the Vulcan star charts.”

 

“No, I’m thanking _you_. It was _your_ idea to ask T’Pol to find a winter planet.”

 

“Still, I’m sorry you’re not having a good time. And it’s my fault.”

 

Trip squeezed Archer’s hand and tugged him closer. “Hey, I might not be too keen on the environment, but gettin’ to spend some time with you is worth a few cold toes.”

 

“I know it hasn’t been easy since we launched, making time for one another,” Archer said. “But we’ll figure it out. We’ll make this work.”

 

Trip leaned forward, his smile as slow and easy as his kiss. “I have too many years invested in you to give up now,” he said confidently as they moved apart.

 

Archer felt Trip shiver and he inclined his head toward the cabin door. “What do you say we move this inside and I’ll warm you up?” he said suggestively with a raised eyebrow.

 

“I’d say it’s an offer I can’t refuse,” Trip smirked and followed Archer inside, closing the door behind him.

 

The inside of the single room cabin was cozy and warm. There was a small kitchen area off to the left, a large bed to the right and couches and chairs in the middle. A fire was blazing in the biggest fireplace that both Archer and Trip had ever seen. There were piles of soft blankets and pillows on the floor in front of it, beckoning both men.

 

They removed their winter jackets and Trip his hat, exposing mussed, short blonde hair, then toed out of their boots. They moved toward the fire as one, Trip reaching out his cold hands to the heat. Archer walked up behind him and pressed his chest to Trip’s back, his arms coming around the younger man’s waist. Trip sighed and relaxed into Archer’s embrace, tipping his head back, resting it against Archer’s.

 

“You know,” Archer murmured, “I seem to remember you telling me that your family has a tradition of opening up one gift on Christmas Eve.”

 

“Mmm-hmm,” Trip nodded. “But we don’t have any gifts here.”

 

Archer turned Trip around. “Oh, I’m thinking there’s something you can unwrap,” he hinted, heat in his voice.

 

Trip’s blue eyes immediately darkened with desire. “Well Merry Christmas to _me_ ,” he answered, voice low and deep.

 

As Trip claimed Archer’s lips with his own he was reminded once again what a pleasure it was to kiss the younger man. Trip put his all into it, whether it be hard and frantic or like this, slow and passionate.

 

Their arms twined around one another, pulling their bodies flush against each other as their tongues did sensuous battle for long minutes. Trip slid his cold hands under Archer’s sweatshirt and up his back and Archer jumped, breaking the kiss. Trip chuckled, but before Archer could say anything his mouth was on the sensitive spot right behind Archer’s ear. This time when Archer shivered it wasn’t from the cold.

 

Trip’s mouth moved slowly downward, along the long column of Archer’s neck until he reached the collar of Archer’s shirt. He swiftly removed the offending garment along with his own then resumed kissing his way across the top of Archer’s shoulder. Archer let his eyes fall closed and sighed contentedly, letting his hands roam across Trip’s bare skin.

 

Their duty hours were long and unpredictable. They were lucky if they spent one full night together a week and Archer vowed to himself to change that, to make time for one another.

 

“I miss this…” he whispered and Trip raised his head to look at him with soft blue eyes.

 

He answered Archer with another kiss, this one more insistent than the first, one of his hands sliding past the waistband of Archer’s sweatpants to cup his ass. Archer moaned softly into the kiss as he felt his cock start to swell. He pulled Trip closer, pushing their groins together and felt an answering growing hardness.

 

Not breaking the increasingly passionate kiss, both men moved as one to push sweatpants and boxers down off one another’s hips until they were standing gloriously naked, wrapped in each other’s arms. Archer could feel the heat between Trip’s legs, felt his cock growing harder and he pushed his hips against Trip, pressing their cocks together.

 

Trip broke the kiss with a short gasp, sliding a finger down the crease of Archer’s ass to rub against the tight muscle. “Need you…” Trip breathed. “God, right now, Jon…”

 

Archer could only nod in response, his body coming alive at the thought of Trip pushing inside of him, taking him, making love to him. His cock twitched, releasing the first pearl of precome from the tip.

 

They moved apart only long enough to step out of their clothing and then Trip was tumbling them down onto the thick pile of blankets. Archer was on his back, head on a pillow, Trip half covering his body. His mouth was back on Archer’s, kissing him deeply while his left hand roamed across Archer’s bare skin. He started at his neck and moved down, skimming across his collarbone to a flat nipple. He rolled it between his fingers, teasing it to pebble hardness and Archer gave in willingly to the sensations Trip was creating in his body. His breath caught as Trip gently tugged on his nipple. He wanted more but Trip’s hand continued it’s downward exploration, floating across a flat stomach, then downward still. Archer pushed his hips up eagerly, wanting Trip’s hand on him desperately. He jerked as he felt Trip’s fingers brush across the head of his cock, running through the clear fluid leaking from the tip. He played with just the swollen head, pushing his thumb against the sensitive spot on the underside until Archer was moving restlessly. Then his hand was wrapping around Archer’s long, hard cock, stroking, and Archer broke the kiss with a gasp, his head pressing back into the pillow.

 

Trip drove Archer’s arousal higher with each stroke for a long minute before abruptly shifting. Before Archer even realized he was moving, Trip’s mouth was on his cock, hot and wet, sucking. Archer cried out at the sensation, hips jerking upwards. Trip hummed in response, bobbing his head faster, his hand now cradling Archer’s heavy balls in his palm, rolling them. Archer thought he would fly apart if the pleasurable assault continued much longer and he was torn between wanting to come in Trip’s mouth or wait until the younger man was inside him.

 

Trip took the decision away from him as he sucked hard one last time on Archer’s cock then pulled off, raising his head. Archer swallowed deeply at the heat and arousal in Trip’s blue eyes, taking in his flushed face and wet, red mouth. Archer bent his legs at the knees and spread them wide, the silent invitation Trip was waiting for. As his lover moved between his legs, Archer reached down under the blankets for the tube he had placed there earlier in the day. Trip took the tube with an arched eyebrow and a playful leer. Well, what did he expect? Archer was an Eagle Scout. Be prepared and all that.

 

Trip quickly coated the fingers of his right hand and tossed the tube back onto the blankets, raising up on his knees for a moment, his rampant arousal evident as his cock jutted out proudly from his groin. He stroked himself with his left hand, teasing Archer and himself, smearing the clear fluid leaking from the tip around the head. Archer squeezed his legs together and raised up his hips and Trip took the hint, slyly winking at him before bending over at the waist, his left hand now braced near Archer’s shoulder.

 

Hazel eyes locked with blue as Trip’s right hand moved down between Archer’s legs, fingers searching for that tight muscle, rubbing against it before one long finger slid inside. Archer’s groan was deep as Trip breached him, finger sliding in and out, stretching him. A second finger quickly joined the first and Archer’s hips started moving, pushing up, trying to get Trip’s fingers deeper. But he was denied as Trip removed his fingers and quickly slicked up his cock. Before Archer could mourn the loss of the fingers, Trip’s cock was taking their place, pushing, pushing, filling Archer so completely he didn’t know where he ended and Trip began.

 

Twin groans echoed in the room as they joined so intimately after too long a time apart. They paused for several heartbeats, reveling in the feeling, never looking away from one another, love reflecting from their eyes. But the desire finally became too much and Trip shifted his hips backwards, his cock sliding nearly all the way out of Archer before he pushed back in in one long thrust, setting up a rhythm that both their bodies knew so well.

 

They made love slowly, Archer’s legs wrapped around Trip’s waist to pull him in as deep as he could, their bodies pressed together as close as they could get, Archer’s cock rubbing against Trip’s flat stomach with each thrust. And all the while the heat from the fire warming their bare skin, bathing them in shades of yellows and orange, turning Trip’s blonde hair golden.

 

They moved together over and over, trying to draw out the pleasure as long as they could, not knowing when they’d have another opportunity to be together like this. But eventually their bodies could take no more, demanding release. Trip’s rhythm faltered and his eyes squeezed shut.

 

“Jon…” he breathed harshly. “You feel so damn good…don’t – don’t wanna stop…” he stuttered, voice rough.

 

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” Archer panted, feeling his own orgasm curling at the base of his spine and rushing upwards. “I’m right there, Trip, right with you. Let go…”

 

And Trip did, pushing in hard and deep one last time and climaxing with a sharp cry of release. Feeling Trip fill him with slick, wet heat was Archer’s undoing. He gave in and let himself fall over the edge with a shout of Trip’s name, his cock pulsing over and over between their bodies until he was spent and boneless.

 

Several heartbeats later Trip slipped gently out of Archer’s body then lowered himself down. Archer wrapped his arms around the younger man and rolled them on their sides, his back to the fire. They kissed lazily, their bodies heavy and sated from their lovemaking. After a few minutes Trip sighed softly and pulled back, tipping his head to rest it on Archer’s shoulder. He smiled tenderly at Archer before his eyes started to drift closed.

 

“Hey,” Archer kissed Trip’s forehead. “Don’t fall asleep on me yet,” he told him softly.

 

But Trip just snuggled closer, eyes closed. “Too late. Ya wore me out,” he answered.

 

“To worn out to _really_ open a gift?” Archer teased. One blue eye popped open in curiosity and Archer chuckled. “You’re like a little kid. Here, sit up.”

 

Trip did as he was told, leaning back against the couch, his naked body illuminated by the firelight and Archer felt his breath catch at the sight. It still amazed him, even after all these years, that Trip was his. He was young and handsome and funny and had a brilliant mind. Trip could have anyone he wanted. Yet he chose Archer. His love and devotion was a gift that Archer would treasure forever.

 

“Hey,” Trip said quietly, putting a hand on Archer’s thigh, bringing Archer’s attention back. “You okay?”

 

“More than okay,” Archer reassured him with a smile. He reached behind Trip, under the cushion of the couch and withdrew a small, square shaped wrapped package.

 

Trip’s face lit up as he took the gift from Archer and removed the wrapping. He took the lid off the box and paused, looking up at Archer then back again before lifting up the silver chain with a circular silver pendant.

 

“It’s engraved,” Archer told him. “It’s made out of the same material as the warp engine.”

 

Trip’s eyes widened at that and he looked closely at the inscription on both sides of the pendant:

 

_NX-01_

_To the Stars and Beyond_

_2151_

 

Trip swallowed deeply and looked up at Archer with shining eyes, his reply heartfelt. “Jon, this is…amazing. I’ll always have a piece of Enterprise with me. I couldn’t think of anything better than that. Thank you.” Then he was leaning forward and kissing Archer tenderly.

 

Archer was smiling when they moved apart, but Trip looked suddenly uncomfortable.

 

“Hey, what is it?” Archer asked, concerned.

 

“Jon, I’m sorry. I’ve been so busy that Christmas just wasn’t on my mind. I don’t have anything to give you,” Trip apologized.

 

Archer shook his head, reaching over to take Trip’s hand in his. “You’ve already given me the greatest gift I could ever want.” Trip’s forehead furrowed in confusion and Archer continued. “You’re _here_. You survived. You and Malcolm. When I opened up that shuttlepod door and saw you both on the floor, lying so still…” he swallowed past the lump in his throat at the memory. “I thought I’d lost you. Thank you for not giving up, for being strong enough to fight, for surviving against the odds. For coming back to me.”

 

Trip squeezed Archer’s hand, his voice soft. “When things started lookin’ pretty grim Malcolm started recording all these letters, saying goodbye to people. He kept telling me that I should, too. And it made me angry. Because I wasn’t ready to give up and that’s what saying goodbye would mean. I kept thinkin’ of you and I knew I had to keep fighting.” He smiled then, his voice lighter. “There was no way I was lettin’ you have all the adventures out here without me.”

 

Archer smiled in return. “I’m glad you didn’t give up. Because there’s no one I’d rather have by my side.” He tugged on Trip’s hand and pulled them back down onto the blankets, laying side by side again, wrapped in each other’s arms.

 

“Merry Christmas, Jon.”

 

“Merry Christmas, Trip.”

 

**THE END**


End file.
